The invention relates to a pouch-like container, in particular in the form of a billfold, pocketbook and the like, having insertion compartments which are arranged in a staggered, shingled or graduated manner one above the other and each have at least one insertion opening adapted, in particular, to credit cards and the like.
Wallets, billfolds and pocketbooks of the type mentioned are known in various forms and basically also fulfill their purpose to a satisfactory extent. In particular for credit cards and/or plastic cards, these pouch-like containers have insertion compartments which are arranged in a flat state one upon the other and in a staggered manner. The object of the invention is to improve the functions of these insertion compartments.
In order to achieve the above mentioned object, the invention provides that the direction for pushing the cards into the insertion compartments and the direction of the main axis of the staggering are arranged transversely to one another.
In the case of the known containers or pouches of the type in question here, the insertion direction and the staggering direction coincide with one another. This means, in practice, that the insertion compartments are open in the direction of a free border of the pouch-like container, with the result that, in principle, there is a risk of cards being able to drop out of the insertion compartments. This applies, in particular, when the insertion compartments have a relatively large amount of clearance. In order that the cards do not drop out of the insertion compartments, the latter are usually very narrow and adapted directly to the format of the cards. This means that only a single card in each case fits into an insertion compartment. Nowadays, however, it is frequently the case that users of credit cards and other plastic cards require not just one or two cards, but often a dozen cards, with the result that it is correspondingly necessary for a number of cards to be accommodated in a pouch-like container of the type in question here. This is also possible in a space-saving manner if not just a single card, but two or three cards, can be arranged in an insertion compartment, it nevertheless being ensured that a card cannot be lost even when only a single card is located in the insertion compartment intended for more than one card. This safety aspect is achieved if, according to the invention, the staggering direction and the insertion direction are not the same, as has been the case hitherto, with the result that the insertion openings are open, for example, toward the pouch interior or toward a folding axis of a pouch comprising, for example, two halves. The position of the insertion opening provides an additional safeguard against loss of the article located in the insertion compartment, it being possible for said article to be a credit card and/or plastic card or also, in the broadest sense, some other document or paper.
The invention, however, is not restricted to this particularly expedient method of arranging the insertion openings.